Jacob chose a number of individuals as candidates to replace him as protector of the Island. Many people who came to the Island, including many survivors of Oceanic 815, were candidates that had been purposely watched, visited, selected and drawn by Jacob.

Jacob began choosing candidates when he realized that his brother, the Man in Black, planned to kill him. Jacob therefore granted the candidates special protections from the Man in Black and from Jacob's own followers, the Others. The candidates were all people who were flawed or damaged, like Jacob himself, whom the Island could help and who could protect the Island in return.

By the time of Jacob's death, only six candidates remained. When only four remained, Jacob appeared before them to let them choose who would become the next Protector. Jack Shephard volunteered. Within a day, he died saving the Island and appointed Hugo Reyes as his successor.

Contents

The candidates

The Man in Black's account

Following Jacob's death, the Man in Black, in the form of John Locke, brought Sawyer to the cliffside cave. Inside he revealed numerous names of individuals scrawled haphazardly across the walls and ceiling; each name linked with a corresponding number. The Man in Black explained that these individuals are or were candidates chosen to potentially replace Jacob in the role of protecting the Island. He also claimed that Jacob intentionally brought each candidate to the Island by intervening and manipulating choices made at critical points in their lives.

The Man in Black explained that each candidate (or, at least in Sawyer's case) has three options:

To do nothing and see how things play out (and possibly their name will be crossed off the list);

To take over Jacob's position as protector of the Island; or...

To leave the Island and move on with their lives.

As he explained this to Sawyer, he slowly crossed out Locke's name in on the cave wall. When asked about the numbers associated with each name, the Man in Black comments "Jacob had a thing for numbers."

Given the Man in Black's obvious bias against Jacob, it may be worth taking his account of who and what the candidates are with a grain of salt.

It was later revealed that the Man in Black is trying to kill all of the remaining candidates in order to leave the Island. ("The Candidate")

Jacob

In 1867, shortly after the wreck of the Black Rock, the Man in Black and Jacob held a short conversation. The Man in Black implored Jacob to let him leave the Island, but Jacob responded that as long as he was alive, that would not happen. The Man in Black stated that is why he will kill Jacob. Jacob calmly responds that if that occurs, that he will merely be replaced by another, to which the Man in Black responds that he will kill that person too. ("Ab Aeterno")

In 2007, Jacob explains why he selected each candidate. He was looking for people who were like him - alone and flawed. His candidates were people who were looking for something they couldn't find and who needed the Island as much as the Island needed them. Jacob also explains that the names that are crossed out can be reinstated, specifically Kate. Kate was crossed off because she became a mother, but Jacob added that the crossing out was only chalk on a wall and that the job could be Kate's if she wanted it. ("What They Died For")

The Others

The candidates have a special protected status among the Others, although the Others seem somewhat loathe to reveal this fact to them.

Throughout the beginning of Season 6, Dogen seems very motivated to try to keep the survivors inside the Temple where they will be safe. Much later, Dogen, confronts Hurley in a restricted area of the Temple. At the prompting from a manifestation of Jacob, Hurley responds that he is a candidate and can do what he likes. Dogen demands to know who told Hurley he was a candidate and on not getting an answer, backs off begrudgingly. ("Lighthouse")

Candidate lists

A full list of candidates appears to have been written down in at least two locations:

The names on the cave walls and at the lighthouse all appear to be given surnames, although exactly who each surname represents is not always entirely clear. For example, Alex could potentially be identified as either "Linus" or "Rousseau." However, "Linus" and "Rousseau" could also refer to Ben and Danielle, respectively. Neither list has been seen in its entirety. Aside from some discrepancies (some minor and some major), the name and number pairings of both lists largely agree. In the lighthouse, the numbers correspond to specific bearings that the signal mirror can be set to.

Number of candidates

Jorge Garcia's podcast "Geronimo Jack's Beard" says the script for "The Substitute" calls for "over a hundred names" to be written on the cave wall. If the numbers are contiguous, then there should be at least 360 names. If every bearing on the compass rose at the lighthouse has a corresponding name, there may be as many as 360 candidates. So far, the names of 120 candidates have been revealed. If there are a total of 360 candidates, then this constitutes only a third of the candidates.

Discrepancies between the cave and the lighthouse

The lists in the cave and lighthouse reflect many of the same pairings of names and numbers. However, there are a few discrepancies between the two:

"Rutherford" is #31 in the cave and #32 in the lighthouse. The name "Toms" is listed instead at #31 in the lighthouse.

"Lewis" is #140 in the cave and #104 in the lighthouse.

"Brennan" is #29 in the cave and #35 in the lighthouse. The number 35 was not shown in the cave, and the name for number 29 was not shown clearly in the lighthouse.

This could also be because there are two different Brennans on the list, and therefore not a discrepancy.

"Austen" is crossed out in the cave but not in the lighthouse.

The discrepancies may be mere production errors, but it is also possible that the differences were intentional.

Crossed-out names

The vast majority of names on both the cave walls and on the compass rose at the lighthouse have been crossed out. It is not entirely clear what it means when a name has been crossed out, but it is likely an indication that the individual, for whatever reason, is no longer considered a candidate. In some cases, the crossed-out candidate has died (examples: Locke, Rousseau, Rutherford, Goodspeed, Troup). In other cases, the candidate is still alive (examples: Linus, Straume, Littleton), and it is not clear why the person's name was removed from consideration. It could be because they have done something wrong that cannot be undone, such as murder (in Ben's case). It also could be because they were following the Man in Black (a.k.a. smoke monster), this would be true of Claire Littleton.

Crossing out a name does not necessarily eliminate a candidate, however. In "What They Died For", Jacob explained to Kate that her name was crossed out when she became a mother -- and alluded that he was looking for people who were alone in the world to replace him. He also stated that Kate was still eligible and that the names in the cave were just marks drawn with chalk.

Ilana and the Man in Black both believed that either Sun or Jin was one of the candidates - or perhaps that both were. ("The Substitute") ("Dr. Linus")

In "The Package", the Man in Black told Claire that her name was not on the cave wall and also that Kate's name as not on the cave wall. In "The Substitute", however, Claire's surname, Littleton, was seen crossed out at the cave. Although Kate's name was not seen in the cave, Carlton Cusein an interview that Kate's name was on the cave wall and crossed out, but regrettably the shot did not make the final edit. This was later confirmed in the series by Sawyer in "The Candidate".

Candidates pointed out at the cliffside cave

Locke met Jacob after being pushed out of a window by his father. Jacob touched his shoulder and said that he was sorry that had happened to him. Locke's name was crossed out in the cave by the Man in Black. ("The Substitute") It is unknown whether Locke's name was in the lighthouse, as the entire compass rose was not shown. ("Lighthouse")

Immediately after his release from prison, Hurley met Jacob, who talked him into booking passage on Ajira Flight 316. Jacob touched Hurley's chest when emphasizing the importance of the flight. ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2") Hurley was identified as a candidate in the cliffside cave by the Man in Black ("The Substitute"), and his name was not crossed out in the lighthouse. ("Lighthouse") While Jack initially accepted the role of protector, he soon relinquished it to Hurley. ("The End")

Sawyer met Jacob as a child at his parents' funeral. Jacob touched Sawyer's hand while handing him a pen, which Sawyer used to write his letter. ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2") Sawyer was identified as a candidate in the cliffside cave by the Man in Black ("The Substitute"), and his name was not crossed out in the lighthouse. ("Lighthouse")

Sayid met Jacob when his wife Nadia was murdered. Jacob touched Sayid's shoulder briefly. ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2") Sayid was identified as a candidate by the Man in Black in the cliffside cave ("The Substitute"), and his name was not crossed out in the lighthouse. ("Lighthouse") Sayid ended up sacrificing his life to save those of his friends by transporting a bomb away from them. ("The Candidate")

Jack met Jacob after completing his first successful surgery at St. Sebastian Hospital. Jacob offered Jack an Apollo bar that Jack had unsuccessfully tried to dislodge from the vending machine. Their fingers touched as Jacob passed the bar to Jack. ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2") Jack was identified as a candidate by the Man in Black in the cliffside cave ("The Substitute"), and the name Shephard was not crossed out in the lighthouse. ("Lighthouse") Jack was the only surviving candidate to accept Jacob's job and was given the role of the Island's protector by Jacob's ghost. ("What They Died For") The next day, Jack realized his true destiny was to sacrifice himself to save the Island. He offered the job of protector to Hurley, who reluctantly accepted. Jack later died from exposure to the electromagnetism at the Source after plugging it back in. ("The End")

Jin and Sun both met Jacob during their wedding when he congratulated them and advised them to keep their promises. Both were touched by Jacob simultaneously. The Man in Black indicated that one of them was a candidate but was unable to identify which one. ("The Substitute") Similarly, Aldo and Justin implied that Jin might be a candidate ("What Kate Does"), and Ilana indicated uncertainty about which one of the Kwons was the candidate. ("Dr. Linus") Jin and Sun ended up drowning together on Widmore's submarine. ("The Candidate") While Jacob confirmed to Kate that both shared the name on the wall, he crossed out Kate's name when she became a mother, leaving Sun's ultimate candidacy ambiguous. ("What They Died For")

John Locke. Locke met Jacob after being pushed out of a window by his father. Jacob touched his shoulder and said that he was sorry that had happened to him. Locke's name was crossed out in the cave by the Man in Black. ("The Substitute") At first it was unknown whether Locke's name was in the lighthouse, as the entire compass rose was not shown. ("Lighthouse"). A picture provided for Lost: The Auction, revealed that his name was present, but it wasn't crossed out.

Only possible character is Officer Barnes, the New South Wales (Australia) officer who dealt with Claire after Claire's car crashed with her and her mother inside it, resulting in her mother's comatose state. He was responsible for questioning Claire regarding the accident, but did not appear again. Possibly related to #17 and #43, or the same person.

Hugo Reyes. Jacob met Hurley upon Hurley's release from prison and talked him into booking passage on Ajira Flight 316. Jacob touched Hurley's chest when emphasizing the importance of the flight. ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2") Hurley was identified as a candidate in the cliffside cave by the Man in Black ("The Substitute"), and his name was not crossed out in the lighthouse. ("Lighthouse")

James Ford. He met Jacob as a child at his parents' funeral. Jacob touched Sawyer when he handed him a pen, which Sawyer used to write his letter. ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2"). Sawyer was identified as a candidate in the cliffside cave by the Man in Black ("The Substitute"), and his name was not crossed out in the lighthouse. ("Lighthouse")

Only possible character is Officer Barnes, the New South Wales (Australia) officer who dealt with Claire after Claire's car crashed with her and her mother inside it, resulting in her mother's comatose state. He was responsible for questioning Claire regarding the accident, but did not appear again. Possibly related to #5 and #43, or the same person.

Jack met Jacob after completing his first successful surgery at St. Sebastian Hospital. Jacob offered Jack an Apollo bar that Jack had unsuccessfully tried to dislodge from the vending machine. Their fingers touched as Jacob passed the bar to Jack. ("The Incident, Parts 1 & 2") Jack was identified as a candidate by the Man in Black in the cliffside cave ("The Substitute"), and the name Shephard was not crossed out in the lighthouse. ("Lighthouse")

Probably Brennan from the science expedition. Might also be Kate's friend Tom Brennan, who was with her when she was touched by Jacob. In the lighthouse, the name "Brennan" appears under a different number, 35; these might refer to the two characters separately.

Probably Brennan from the science expedition. Might also be Kate's friend Tom Brennan, who was with her when she was touched by Jacob. In the cave, the name "BRENNAN" appears under a different number, 29; these might refer to the two characters separately.

Sun-Hwa Kwon and Jin-Soo Kwon both met Jacob during their wedding when he congratulated them and advised them to keep their promises. Both were touched by Jacob simultaneously. The Man in Black indicated that one of them was a candidate but was unable to identify which one. ("The Substitute") Similarly, Aldo and Justin implied that Jin may be a candidate ("What Kate Does"), and Ilana indicated uncertainty about which one of the Kwons was the candidate. ("Dr. Linus") While Jacob confirmed to Kate that Jin and Sun were originally both candidates, his crossing off of Kate's name due to her status as a mother makes Sun's ultimate candidacy ambiguous. ("What They Died For")

Only possible character is Officer Barnes, the New South Wales (Australia) officer who dealt with Claire after Claire's car crashed with her and her mother inside it, resulting in her mother's comatose state. He was responsible for questioning Claire regarding the accident, but did not appear again. Possibly related to #5 and #17, or the same person.

Kate Austen, who met Jacob as a child when she was caught trying to shoplift a lunchbox. Jacob helped her by paying for the lunchbox and then touched her on the nose. Sawyer told Kate that he saw her surname in the cave, and that it was crossed out. ("The Candidate"), and out of show pictures confirmed this. However, the name "Austen" was seen in the lighthouse and was not crossed out. ("Lighthouse") Jacob later confirmed that he crossed out Kate's name only because she became a mother and that the job was still open to her if she wanted it. ("What They Died For")